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How was the quality of your Hedmans? I had those very same shorties- and get rid of them before ever installing. NIB ones had warped flanges, crappy welds, and best thing absolutely was that i had to massage the collector extensions to even get them to fit! There goes the " quality product" out of the window.. Fool and his money were parted..
When are you planning to fire this up?
I hope those Hedman headers work well for you. The Hedman headers on my 71 98 ALWAYS blow header gaskets and are generally a PITA (which is odd because they weren't cheap and fit without mods). There are headers available for Ford IDI diesels and they fit pretty lousy and are generally thought to do little for HP/torque gains.
I went with the Hedmans for a few reasons.
1. The manifolds that came on the engine were both passenger side, one had been cut, capped and welded and put on the drivers side, and I really didn't care for that since it placed the exit at the front of the engine.
2. It seems like most of the passenger manifolds I have seen, including mine, exited just behind the block, and this seemed like it would cause firewall and heater box issues with the Camaro's and Firebird's I had in mind.
3. The Hedmans were local and for a good price. plus I like the exit location on them,
4. I would prefer a set of manifolds if I can find a set that exit in front of the oil filter and not behind the block. I know the clearance will be much better. and will last longer without problems.
I hope to have this thing on the Dyno in the next week or two, more to come!
Gold? Like a standard SMO? Corporate Blue like a SBO 403? Metallic Blue like a BBO? Grey like I think the original SMO Diesel came? or Black like I think some of them were?
Gold? Like a standard SMO? Corporate Blue like a SBO 403? Metallic Blue like a BBO? Grey like I think the original SMO Diesel came? or Black like I think some of them were?
Originally Posted by Olds64
Inquiring minds need to know!
Well, I have already painted the block "Cast Iron Grey" to give it an industrial look, I am not sure what the valve covers will be painted yet. they are black now and that doesn't look too bad. But I am leaning toward copper with a hammered finish to match the drain back lines.
Does anybody have any other suggestions? No NEON colors please! haha
After a little massaging I was able to get the stock fuel lines up and over the tall valve covers. I will need to create new brackets for the lines, no way the old ones are going to work now!
Also had to plug up some of the extra bolt holes in the new valve covers, the diesel heads are only cast with five, two on the top and three across the bottom. I was able to punch some 1/4 holes in sheet metal with our iron-worker and I used the drops and welded them in, worked better than I though it would.
I will need to create new brackets for the lines, no way the old ones are going to work now!
Make sure you get all the OE injection line clamps to work. My Ford IDI uses 4 clamps total, 2 for the passenger's side and 2 for the driver's side injection lines. The clamps need to be there to prevent the injection lines from vibrating. Injection lines aren't easy to source for a Ford IDI if they fail. I imagine Olds diesel injection lines would have to come from a salvage yard.
This might seem a dumb question... I have a VW TDI, and my injectors are in ports in the heads i Think? Where are the injectors on the Olds Diesel? Are they at the end of those steel lines? How do they fire? Are there wires that go to them? I know the glow plugs are where spark plug plug into basically?
Well, I have already painted the block "Cast Iron Grey" to give it an industrial look, I am not sure what the valve covers will be painted yet. they are black now and that doesn't look too bad. But I am leaning toward copper with a hammered finish to match the drain back lines.
Does anybody have any other suggestions? No NEON colors please! haha
Some alternates for the standard Olds engine colors that might make sense...
1. Onan generator Green
2. John Deer Green
Both are available in Diesel so if you are going with a Color that is standard for a Diesel both those work. And that splash of color on an engine is kind of what a classic car is all about. Blue, Orange, Teal, Red, why not green?
Do NOT paint an Oldsmobile engine green. Especially the one used by John... what was his name again? If the OP is going to go with a non-Oldsmobile color it should DEFINITELY be International Harvester red!
Here's a good website on diesel tech. An IDI uses injectors that fire into a pre-chamber. A VW TDI is direct injection.
When it is finished do you think your mods will give it more torque and hp than stock? I would be interested to know if the Diesel 350 will work in a 73-78 GMC Motorhome mated behind the TH425 toronado FWD setup. At 10,000 lbs would the diesel even move it? Will it make it up a hill?
Some alternates for the standard Olds engine colors that might make sense...
1. Onan generator Green
2. John Deer Green
Both are available in Diesel so if you are going with a Color that is standard for a Diesel both those work. And that splash of color on an engine is kind of what a classic car is all about. Blue, Orange, Teal, Red, why not green?
I appreciate the ideas! But I don't think I can bring myself to paint it John Deere green. Big fan of green, but I am just not feeling it on this project. I have 3 cans of a metallic deep navy blue that one of my tenants left behind, maybe it would look good on the valve covers?
This might seem a dumb question... I have a VW TDI, and my injectors are in ports in the heads i Think? Where are the injectors on the Olds Diesel? Are they at the end of those steel lines? How do they fire? Are there wires that go to them? I know the glow plugs are where spark plug plug into basically?
This type of diesel engine is IDI, meaning Indirect Diesel Injection, it injects a burst of diesel into a pre-combustion chamber next to the actual combustion chamber a opposed to your TDI which sprays diesel directly into your combustion chamber.
The Stanadyne DB2 pump is 100% mechanical except for a 12 volt shut off solenoid. It rotates by a gear at half engine speed and pumps fuel to each injector in firing order sequence, just like a distributor cap and rotor works in a gasoline engine.
As far as the glow plugs are concerned they are there to simply preheat the pre-combustion chamber before starting the engine when it is cold outside. They are turned on for about 10-20 seconds and then turned off before the engine is cranked. When you compress the air in the cylinder it gets hot, and the Oldsmobile has a compression ratio of 22.5:1, So it really compresses the air! If the car has been sitting outside on a cold night everything gets cold, the engine, the diesel fuel, and the incoming air, so when you compress it it wont get hot enough to ignite the diesel. So you need glow plugs to help things heat up at first.
As far as the mods I have made to the engine, this thing wont be a power house! My goal on this engine was to have a little fun and try some things out and in the end see what I can get for fuel economy.
The reason diesel engines had been offered by GM in the late 70's early 80's was for fuel economy, even in the pickups.
These older diesel engines are going to struggle behind a motor home, I wouldn't do it. If memory serves the GM motor homes used the Oldsmobile 455, a really good engine and a bunch more powerful than a 5.7 diesel, not to mention you can easily find parts for a 455! If you really, really wanted to stuff a diesel into your house on wheels you may look at the Detroit 6.5 turbo diesel out of the late 90's GM trucks. A Chevy to BOP bellhousing adapter is less than $50 and the 6.5 is pretty inexpensive to buy as well. The TH425 should handle the torque of the diesel, the Detroit 6.5 is no power house, but I bet the torque is close to the 455 and the mpg could be a lot better.
BTW Greg, I do like the steel engine with black valve covers. Look forward to seeing it installed! [/QUOTE]
I like it too, I think I am going to finish painting it with these colors, keeping the copper natural, spray the valve covers black again, taping off the ARP studs to keep them black too and spray the rest with Cast Iron Grey.
Hey everyone! The build is not dead. I just had to put it in the corner for a little while. I finally got the intake manifold bolted on and the pump mounted. The engine has been oil primed (50psi with a 1/2 drill) with oil flow at all the rocker arms.
Yes, like to check on your progress.
Have you found a car to put it in ?
Still dont have a car to put it in, I am having a hard time making up my mind on what I want to do.
More pictures to come soon!
Are you for sure wanting a car? How about a midsize truck, like ranger or an S10 or something of that size.
Gene
Right now I am keeping an open mind and I am keeping my eye out for a good deal. A truck would be a much easier fit, I am skeptical that my headers will fit well in a Camaro or any other car for that matter. I did a 350 in an S10 many years ago so I am pretty sure the Oldsmobile headers and starter location will be an issue in an S10. I need to stick my head under the hood of a few vehicles to get a better idea.
I did Olds 307 and an Olds 350 in a 78 2wd 1/2 ton and a 94 Z71 4×4. Those headers might fit but the collectors hang pretty low. The Sanderson shorties or Thornton shorties might be a better fit. I used Sanderson shorties and a mini starter was necessary on the 4x4. I used A body SBO Flowtech headers on the 78 2wd. They fit but rusted through the ceramic coating within a year and even thinner flanges than the those Hedman headers I believe, would not buy another set.
I did Olds 307 and an Olds 350 in a 78 2wd 1/2 ton and a 94 Z71 4×4. Those headers might fit but the collectors hang pretty low. The Sanderson shorties or Thornton shorties might be a better fit. I used Sanderson shorties and a mini starter was necessary on the 4x4. I used A body SBO Flowtech headers on the 78 2wd. They fit but rusted through the ceramic coating within a year and even thinner flanges than the those Hedman headers I believe, would not buy another set.
Thanks for the input! I really think the older trucks are a great option for me as far as ease of fitment and transmission mounting options. The downside is they are heavy and brick shaped.
These headers were an Ebay special that someone had returned, so I was attracted by the price!
Truth be told we all know stock manifolds will offer the best fit and long term performance in almost any application, but for the Oldsmobile engines they are expensive and are harder to find than these cheap aftermarket headers! I have had issues from all header companies as far as leakage and rust. The only collector flange I have found to work for more than a year without leakage is the V-band clamp style.
I use aluminum collector gaskets and coat them with high temp Optimum Grey RTV. They seal great on my Sanderson shorties which have 3/8" flanges that only need RTV to seal on the heads.
Updates! Screwed the heads on tonight and got the roller lifters in.
Looks fantastic!
I fitted a 350D into a short wheelbase 1971 Landrover 22 years ago in the UK. Ran it for 8 years or so. Best keep rpm below 1,800 for long life, pity for a short stroke well balanced engine. Cracks appear between inlet and exhaust valve seats. Fitted DX heads as in better condition. Still have the SG iron DX block and injector pump / pipes. Thermostat seemed very small for a large engine, it was removed. Fun times!
Hopefully this isn't a completely dead thread. I'm trying to bring my grandfather's car back to life but can't fine any replacements. Where did you get your lines? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
You can get a temporary injection line to get your car back on the road. Be aware that this will effect the injection pump timing though and shouldn't be a permanent solution.
Hopefully this isn't a completely dead thread. I'm trying to bring my grandfather's car back to life but can't fine any replacements. Where did you get your lines? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
If your still looking a have a whole motor with everything. I'm going to either swap a gas Oldsmobile V8 in its place or a LS
